nautical language rant

[xymotic]

no soup for you.

[HeartsContent]

You'll have no trouble getting a salty race crew as long as you can communicate that you have ice cold (imported and bottled) beer, dinner tickets, T-Shirts and a great hotel room lined up for them.

These guys will clear speak nautique!

"the blue flecked line, the black line, or that line over there" crew will likely bring YOU ice cold (imported and bottled) beer, pay for their own dinner, buy their own T-Shirts and gladly stay on your boat for free!

Decisions, decisions, decisions!!!

Originally Posted by BubbleheadMd

I am in total agreement.

I have told my racing crew that although sailing terminology is arcane, it's still totally functional and will be used.

I told them that after their first couple of races, that I will stop referring to things as "the blue flecked line, the black line, or that line over there".

It's not that I get off on "talking like a pirate", it's that these words still refer to jobs and equipment and there is no modern terminology to replace them.

So, HTFU and learn the terminology!

[Mark1948]

Let's see if I got this right, you can have a birth in a berth at a berth by a wench that may have use a wrench on a winch. Try it with a good shot or two of Mt. Gay Rum, not Rhumb.

[smurphny]

Originally Posted by Chadfunk48

My biggest grammer gripe is when people try to sound smart but eff it up. Such as, "That bedroom is Kathy and I."...NO It's Kathy and ME. Do you say, "that bedroom is for I"? No, no you don't. Use whoever and I when it's "I" and use "me" when you are supposed to use god d*** ME. Rant over.

Yes, the subject/object, transitive/intransitive differences are not common knowledge (among lots of other things in our screwy language).

Maybe there ought to be a grammar help forum!! :-O

[knuckledragger]

Originally Posted by cupper3

Well darn!

There goes the old standby, Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.

Recently seen on a t-shirt...

Supercalifragilisticexpialidouchebag

[rbrasi]

I think it's simple- captains (should) know the proper terminology. Are you a captain?

[SloopJonB]

Originally Posted by Cruisingdad

What about "Rubber Bumper Thingies"? That's nautical, right? Captain Ron said it!!

He did call them fenders first and when no-one in the family knew what he was talking about, he called them "rubber bump...."

you might be surprised to learn that many of these words have changed spelling over time! Our proper spelling of some would be considered misspelled by the sailors of old (assuming they could spell at all). Is halyard spelled Halyard? Or is it Halliard? Or wait... is it Haul Yard.... or is it Haul a Yard...Brian

That's one of God's little jokes - the thing that keeps English alive is that it changes over time. The irony is that it's the illiterates that do the changing. If everyone had always spoken proper English, we'd all still be speaking like Shakespeare.

[aeventyr60]

Maybe the OP could come up with an APP for us linguisitically, keyboard challenged and less then erudite sailors?

[SloopJonB]

Originally Posted by SlowButSteady

Longest species name: Parastratiosphecomyia stratiosphecomyioides (Soldier fly), although Gammaracanthuskytodermogammarus loricatobaicalensis (a freshwater amphipod) was proposed but later invalidated by the ICZN

AFAIK the longest word, period, is a place name in Wales - it has about 60 letters in it and my sister could pronounce the whole damn thing!

Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysilio gogogoch

[SloopJonB]

Originally Posted by rbrasi

I think it's simple- captains (should) know the proper terminology. Are you a captain?

Keerect, BUT, if the Cap. is the only one aboard who knows nautical terminology, he's still going to have to revert to "rubber bumper thingies".

Anyone who sails regularly should learn the lingo.